Quick drive: 2015 Audi A6 Matrix

Quick drive: 2015 Audi A6 Matrix

Industry-leading lighting and crazy-comfy suspension make this a winner

Make in India appears to already be paying dividends, and not just for the political class. The “new” Audi A6 Matrix is a luxury mid-size sedan with an almost endearing focus on the needs and wants of the Indian luxury buyer. It’s the sort of product that’s put together with thought that you appreciate the more you consider it. And while this isn’t the sort of “made in India” product that will revolutionise many lives, it’s a nice indicator of things to come.

The “Matrix” part of the nomenclature refers to the now-famous Audi Matrix LED headlamps, seen in the A8, R8 LMX and the new TT, which we were impressed with recently. Apart from being extremely bright, these headlamps are able to selectively and automatically turn segments off to ensure that oncoming traffic is not blinded by your sunshine-bright beams. This allows the driver to maintain high beams with enhanced safety for herself as well as oncoming traffic. There’s also an aggressive-looking arrow-head shape to the LED DRLs and the sweeping, animated line for the indicators. Tweaks to the grille and bumpers have refined the stance of the A6 from unremarkable to purposeful over the course of the refinements to this generation car.

The rest of the car is made up of a host of carry-forward components and features, with some significant enhancements. There’s the standard sunroof, the slightly more powerful 2.0 litre TDI engine, now producing 190hp, the latest generation MMI system and a new 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox that’s a perfect complement to the motor in this car. In essence, the A6 Matrix is a close-to-ideal package that represents what Indian luxury car buyers most appreciate in this segment.

That said, this is not a car that will help you make a statement. Certainly, arriving in an A6 will make the valet snap to attention a little more smartly, but the sedan is substantially the same as it has always been, save for those headlamps that write headlines themselves.

Get inside and you’re greeted with the accoutrements that you’d expect from an upper-segment car. Audi is in fact, quite proud of bringing so many key luxury features down from the A8 to the A6 and as a spoiled motoring journalist, I appreciate the thought. There’s a power-adjustable steering wheel, driver’s and front passenger seat. The gear shifter is a new leather-wrapped item. The dashboard has new wood inlays that don’t use a glossy clear-coat, allowing one to actually feel the grain. It’s very classy. The updated MMI touch system has a large retractable screen for navigation, with a smaller screen between the dial binnacle. It’s large enough to prefer looking slightly to your left than use the one directly behind the steering wheel.

Milano leather seats are standard and we found no cause for complaint over our extended 200km drive. The climate control allows independent adjustment of four separate zones and provides four vents for rear passengers. There’s even an MMI remote and power adjustment of the front passenger seat from the rear, with two extra side airbags for the rear passengers, taking the total to 8. And there you have it. Not as many features to overwhelm the brochure with checkboxes, but very little one could point out on a wishlist, particularly for the Rs 49,50,000 price tag. It’s an excellent package that rides on possibly the best thing about the A6 Matrix: the suspension. This car is almost unbelievably comfortable on all possible surfaces.

We started driving on the Mount Abu road outside Udaipur, a near-perfect, fast highway with an excellent surface. First impressions for an enthusiastic driver are underwhelming. The more powerful, updated engine is just about adequate for a car this size. In comfort or auto mode (the A6 allows, Comfort, Dynamic, Auto and Individual driving modes) the ride is plush and quiet to the point that I needed to keep talking to my co-driver so as to stay alert. Even the transmission is programmed for smoothness and passenger comfort in these modes, with nothing but audible feedback and a jump of the tachometer to indicate that something in the gears has changed. A soft power delivery and this excellent gearbox ensures an almost electric feeling of gentle, continuous thrust. I imaging you could have a quiet meal in the back while being driven around fairly swiftly.

Put the car into Dynamic driving mode and the suspension and steering stiffens. It’s still not a communicative, engaging feeling for the driver, but things are palpably more alert. What’s surprising is that even in this mode, the ride and comfort is perfectly comfortable. On good roads, you really can’t tell the difference, and this is with the A6 Matrix’s new 18″ alloy wheels. A quick snack stop done with, we programmed the GPS to return us to the hotel, which is when things got interesting, The GPS guided us in the exact opposite direction, into narrow village roads barely wide enough for a single vehicle. Then came the JCBs, followed immediately by the cessation of paved roads. What came next would qualify for a gravel rally stage, and sometimes worse. Our speed slowed, but thanks to the excellent suspension, not by much. We found ourselves scooting along unpaved trails at the limits of traction on this front-wheel-drive luxury sedan, confident that we’d ultimately hit upon some form of highway. About 20km in, the GPS asked us to make a U-turn and head back the way we came. Oops!

Back over the rocks, the gravel, the ripped-up tarmac and the village roads, this time with increased confidence thanks to the A6′s adaptive suspension. This time round, we tried the Individual drive mode, setting the engine, steering and transmission to “Dynamic” and the suspension on “Comfort”. With the shifter slotted into S, this big sedan became significantly more lively, allowing us to point and squirt as much as we dared around blind corners in the middle of nowhere. All was well until the combination of early mornings, twisty roads and bad genes caught up with me, delivering a healthy dose of car-sickness. Never mind, I wanted to try the rear seat anyway. Which I did, prone, all the way back to the hotel. Despite some spirited driving by my co-driver, I was actually able to get some shut-eye on the rear seat, never having to brace myself against something to prevent sliding around, even in my horizontal position.

Our morning drive turned into an all-day adventure, taking a luxury sedan onto terrain you’d typically take an SUV to and we came back impressed with the comfort of the A6 Matrix. The adaptive suspension is almost magical and even while an enthusiast would balk at the lack of all-out performance, she would have to begrudgingly accept the amazing ride.

Audi claims that the tweaked 2.0 litre TDI motor is 5% more efficient than before. The VW group’s TDI motors have traditionally been good on efficiency and we wouldn’t doubt the company’s claims. Even after our all-day run with a full tank of diesel, the MMI display showed an estimated range in the hundreds of kilometres. If you had to do 1000km days, this would be an excellent choice of vehicle. And this efficiency dovetails nicely with the sticker price. At Rs 49,50,000 Audi has created an excellent package, with cleverly selected components and features that have maximum impact when you have to live with the vehicle every day. The A6 won’t go around corners as hard and quickly as its quattro-equipped brethren, but it will do so with more comfort, and the occasional flashing of the traction control indicator.

The obvious competitors to the A6 Matrix are the Mercedes E-Class, the BMW 5 Series and the Jaguar XF. All these sedans are in the same price ballpark around Rs 50 lac and all offer very similar performance and features. Audi only offers the A6 Matrix in a single, fully-loaded S-line package, while the competition may have a trim or two to chose from. Significantly, the A6 is the only front-wheel drive vehicle in this peer group, so if driving dynamics are paramount to you, look elsewhere, but you can’t beat the A6 for comfort.

4.5/5

The Audi A6 Matrix differentiates itself with its unmistakable headlamps and stellar ride comfort at a competitive price. They also make it very uncomplicated to buy: just pick a colour.

Originally published at ThrillOfDriving.com on August 27, 2015.

Originally published at thrillofdriving.com on August 27, 2015.